Running.

After a couple years of doing Beachbody workouts only, I started running 2 weeks ago using the Couch to 5K program. My friend, Wan, is doing it also so that is encouraging me to keep it up. I did it once before right after I had Diego and I think I quit around week 6. Running has just never ever been my thing. When I ran the mile in high school P.E., I was always in the chatty group of girls at the end who just walked the entire way and often came back well into next period.

So yeah - this is a stretch for me. I completed day 1 of week 3 today (total of 9 weeks) and I'm struggling. I don't like running at all because, well...I suck. There is no other way of putting it. I suck and I don't like sucking (that's what she said.) ;) I am slow as hell and I'm constantly struggling to catch my breathe, even after a short 1 minute run. Straight up hyperventilating.

This weekend, I toyed with the idea of quitting again. I was planning on starting another round of Insanity today or maybe a full round of ChaLean Extreme...something, anything...as long as it was in my comfort zone.

See - that is the problem. I'm super uncomfortable with running. Not only is it physically challenging, I have to leave my house to go running, I have to think about my safety, I have to keep going even when I don't want to. But, I keep reminding myself that in order to grow, you have to get out of your comfort zone and do something scary. This is my scary something.

From this point forward, I'm going to take some advice from my mentor & role model (whether she knows it or not!), Chalene Johnson. She stresses positive self-talk. She taught me that I am the coach of my own team...my team of 1. If a coach said to his team, "You guys suck! You will never do better! You have no chance of winning," they would definitely lose. Up until now, I've been talking to myself in that negative tone. I'm constantly telling myself that I'm so much slower than everyone else I know, that I'm not in as good of shape as I thought, etc etc.

Today - I stop that BS. I will finish this program and it's not gonna kill me. I will be stronger & more fit at the end of it...and I'm excited.

So - my current workout schedule is Couch to 5K 3 days/week, and weight training with ChaLean Extreme on the days I don't run. These 9 weeks will bring me right up to our Hawaiian vacation and I'm hoping to be able to wear a bikini on that trip...instead of a tankini. We'll see how it goes!

And since I don't have a picture for this post, I googled for running images and this is what came up. I'd say this program is my own personal bull.